The Michigan Center for Rural Health (MCRH) is one of only three non-profit State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) in the country. As Michigan’s SORH, MCRH plays a key role in rural health care by assisting in the creation and implementation of partnerships among organizations, health departments, hospitals, government, and academia. Those collaborations and alliances go on to create new opportunities in the areas of network development, quality of care, emergency medical services, continuing education, and recruitment and retention of rural health care providers. In this episode, we sit down with MCRH EMS Program Manager Andrea Abbas, to discuss the MCRH’s mission to continue to advocate for and advance rural health within the State of Michigan.  

• The last Critical Access Hospital to close in Michigan was in 2012. None have closed since. 
• The Northern Michigan University has a Center for Rural Health with whom the Michigan Center for Rural Health works closely.